"It Seems Madness Not to Do It": Stephen Moffat Talks About a Return to 'Sherlock'

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Benedict Cumberbatch & Martin Freeman as Sherlock & Watson pose against a wall for Sherlock Image via BBC

It's been almost eight years since Sherlock aired its final episode in early 2017 - and it's been almost as long since fans started asking about a possible revival of the British mystery series. It seems that there may be some hope for a return to Baker Street. In a recent interview with SFX Magazine, creator Steven Moffat discussed his desire to return to the series - but confirmed that there are no immediate plans to do so.

Recently, Sherlock producer Sue Vertue talked about a possible return to the series, stating that "We love that show and there is a future for it." When asked about Vertue's comments, Moffat clarified that there were no immediate plans to revive the series, but was enthusiastic about doing so in the future. "I’d love to do it again. Look, it’s not a format that wears out. It’s over a hundred years old and going strong, so why aren’t we making more?" He went on to add that the passage of time would enhance the project, especially for stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman: "It would be nice to see them just a little bit older, because it was always very foregrounded in our version that they were younger, let alone the fact that they were updated. It’d be quite nice to see them at more of a Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke age, a bit more [Basil] Rathbone and [Nigel] Bruce." Moffat concludes that "There’s an audience waiting for it. It seems madness not to do it."

What Is 'Sherlock' About?

A modernization of the classic Sherlock Holmes stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock stars Cumberbatch as moody, eccentric genius Sherlock Holmes and Freeman as his long-suffering assistant John Watson; they are occasionally aided by Sherlock's brother Mycroft (Mark Gatiss), a government official, and tormented by his archnemesis, James Moriarty (Andrew Scott). Set in modern-day London, the series loosely adapts and updates Doyle's stories; it attracted an enormous fanbase upon its British airings on the BBC and on PBS in the US, and rocketed leads Cumberbatch and Freeman to stardom. The series ended on a controversial note in 2017; "The Final Problem" revealed that Sherlock had a younger sister, Eurus, who proved to be so brilliant and mentally unstable that she was locked away in a secure institution. She put Holmes and Watson through a series of lethal deathtraps before reconciling with her brother.

Part of the reason for Sherlock's demise was the ascent of its two leads, who soon found themselves inundated with Hollywood offers. Cumberbatch can next be seen alongside Olivia Colman in the black comedy The Roses, the drama The Thing With Feathers, and Wes Anderson's The Phoenician Scheme; Freeman will next star in the adventure film Flavia and the Agatha Christie adaptation The Seven Dials Mystery. Meanwhile, Moffat himself will be penning this year's Doctor Who Christmas special, "Joy to the World," which will premiere this December 25.

All four seasons of Sherlock are currently streaming on Hulu and BritBox. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.

Sherlock Show Poster

Release Date August 8, 2010

Rating

Seasons 4

Studio

Story By Steven Moffat

Network BBC

Franchise(s) Sherlock Holmes

Directors Steven Moffat

Showrunner Steven Moffat

Watch on Hulu

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